The Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation (LRAEF), in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), hosted the 17th Annual Louisiana ProStart® Student Invitational, February 26-27, 2018 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center. The Louisiana Hospitality Foundation was the title sponsor for the Culinary Competition and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers was the title sponsor for the Management Competition. The Louisiana Hospitality Foundation Culinary Competition showcased the culinary and creative talents of ProStart students from 22 high schools. The Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers Management Competition featured the conceptual restaurant development and marketing ingenuity of ProStart students from eight high schools. ​During the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation Culinary Competition, teams demonstrated their creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course, gourmet meal in 60 minutes.

Teams participating in the Raising Cane’s Management Competition demonstrated their knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry by developing a restaurant concept, including the menu, design, budget and marketing strategies, which they presented to a panel of judges as an entrepreneur would pitch to a group of investors.

Hammond High Magnet School and West Feliciana High School will represent Louisiana in the National ProStart Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island, April 27-29, 2018, where they will compete for more than $1 million in additional scholarship dollars.

Schools were also recognized for their individual achievements in various categories within the two competitions.

Culinary:

Knife Skills Award: West Feliciana High School

Safety & Sanitation Award: St. James Parish Career and Technology Center

The 2018 LRAEF Annual Partners are: Five Diamond: Acme Oyster House, Auto-Chlor System, Emeril Lagasse Foundation, Louisiana Hospitality Foundation and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers; Four Diamond: Performance Foodservice Caro; Three Diamond: Baton Rouge Epicurean Society and Delaware North; Two Diamond: Louisiana Gas Association; and One Diamond: Katie’s Restaurant and Patrick J. Gros, CPA. The LRAEF would also like to thank the nine chapters of the LRA for their support throughout the year.

ProStart is a nationwide, two-year culinary arts and restaurant management program for high school students that develops the best and brightest talent into tomorrow’s restaurant industry leaders. By uniting the classroom and the industry, ProStart gives students a platform to discover new interests and talents and opens doors for fulfilling careers. Students are required to complete a 400-hour work internship, thus providing hands-on training. ProStart is important because it provides a pathway to a student’s future success, providing a foundation for a variety of career choices—from management and culinary operations, to supply chain positions and marketing support. The possibilities are endless in an industry with many facets. Many LRA members serve as mentors to ProStart students and also hire them.

The Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation’s (LRAEF) second annual recognition event, “Serving the Future—Celebrating Careers in Hospitality,” will be held Monday, February 26, 2018 at Generations Hall in New Orleans, 6-9 p.m.

This event honors the 2018 LRAEF Scholarship Award winners and the LRAEF’s partner organizations. It will feature delicious food from some of the most popular restaurants in the New Orleans area and some fun surprises for scholarship recipients and the high school students in town for the 2018 Louisiana ProStart® Student Invitational. ProStart is a nationwide, two-year program for high school students designed to develop the best and brightest young talent into tomorrow's industry leaders. This two-day annual competition features ProStart teams from across the state competing in separate culinary and restaurant management components for a chance to win scholarships to culinary and hospitality-focused post-secondary schools. The students also compete to represent the state at the National ProStart Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island in April.

“Serving the Future” will feature two emcees, married chefs Cody and Samantha Carroll, who own Hot Tails Restaurant in New Roads and Sac-a-Lait in New Orleans. As Louisiana Culinary Institute alumni, they represent the success a former culinary student can achieve in the restaurant industry. They will lead the ceremony that will recognize 20 students who will receive $48,000 in scholarships from the LRAEF Scholarship Fund. Created in 2009, this fund has awarded $438,000 to deserving students interested in furthering their education to support a career in the culinary, hospitality, or other related industries.

During the evening, students and scholarship winners will be able to take photos with notable guest chefs and restaurant operators and enjoy music by a DJ and great food from such restaurants as Acme Oyster House, Dat Dog, Commander’s Palace and Plum Street Snoballs, just to name a few. Party favors will include a the perfect “selfie” from photo booth company, Geaux Selfie.

“We are so excited to bring this unique event to our scholarship winners and ProStart students,” said LRAEF Executive Director Alison Greffenius. “‘Serving the Future’ is all about honoring the future leaders of our industry in a fun atmosphere that high school and college students can appreciate.”

This event would not be possible without the support of the “Serving the Future” sponsors. They are:

The Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation (LRAEF) will host its 17th Annual Louisiana ProStart® Student Invitational, February 26-27, 2018, at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, Hall J. The Louisiana Hospitality Foundation is the title sponsor of the Culinary Competition, Monday, February 26, 2018. Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is the title sponsor of the Management Competition, Tuesday, February 27, 2018.

More than $1.4 million in scholarships will be awarded to students whose team places in the top five in both the culinary and management competitions. The funds were donated from 12 of the leading post-secondary culinary and hospitality programs in the country, including: Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University, Culinary Institute of America, Louisiana Culinary Institute and the University of New Orleans, among others.

“These students are pairing a beloved food culture with the ProStart curriculum, which are both highly regarded,” said Stan Harris, Louisiana Restaurant Association President & CEO. “It is remarkable to see these students compete during this event and utilize the most important elements of being successful in the restaurant industry or any career path—teamwork, presentation skills, communications and critical thinking.”

ProStart is a nationwide, two-year culinary arts and restaurant management program for high school students that develops the best and brightest talent into tomorrow’s restaurant industry leaders. By uniting the classroom and the industry, ProStart gives students a platform to discover new interests and talents and opens doors for fulfilling careers. Students are required to complete a 400-hour work internship, where they experience hands-on training. ProStart is important because it provides a pathway to a student’s future success and a foundation for a variety of career choices—from management and culinary operations, to supply chain positions and marketing support. The possibilities are endless in an industry with many facets. Many LRA members serve as mentors to ProStart students and also hire them.

The invitational showcases the culinary and academic talents of high school junior and senior ProStart students from 25 schools across Louisiana. The invitational features two primary components: the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation ProStart Culinary Competition and the Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers ProStart Management Competition. The Opening Ceremony sponsored by TABASCO® begins Monday, February 26 at 9 a.m. in Hall J. The Opening Ceremony will feature keynote speaker Chef Susan Spicer of Bayona, Mondo and Rosedale restaurants in New Orleans.

During the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation ProStart Culinary Competition, Tuesday, February 27 from 10 a.m.-3:45 p.m., teams will demonstrate their creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course, gourmet meal. Twenty-eight judges from the foodservice industry and post-secondary educational institutions will observe and rate their performance during the competition. Judges volunteering their time and expertise include: Chef Tariq Hanna of Sucré, Chef Michael Gulotta of Mopho and Maypop; Chef Mike Brewer of City Pork (a former King of Louisiana Seafood); Chef Rebecca Klaskala of Restaurant R’evolution; and Chef Jason Goodenough of Carrollton Market, among others.

“We greatly value the importance of educating today’s youth and are excited to be the title sponsor of the 2018 ProStart Culinary Competition for the third year in a row,” said David Blitch, President and Co-Founder, Louisiana Hospitality Foundation. “Our foundation works year round to provide resources for children in the community, and access to culinary education will help develop the future of our hospitality industry. The ProStart program is unique and a true value to Louisiana’s future.”

Teams participating in the Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers ProStartManagement Competition, Tuesday, February 27 from 9:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. will demonstrate their knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry by developing a restaurant concept, including the menu, design, budget and marketing strategies, which they present to a panel of judges as an entrepreneur would pitch to a group of investors.

Judges include: Peter Sclafani of Ruffino’s Restaurants; Derrick Dunne of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers; Jen Kelley of the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation; Dr. Yvette Green of Kabacoff School of HRT at UNO; and Jeff Conaway of Beausoleil; among others. The Awards Ceremony concludes the two-day event, Tuesday, February 27 at 2:45 p.m. in Hall J. The Awards Ceremony will feature keynote speaker Chef Michael Gulotta of Mopho and Maypop restaurants in New Orleans.

“Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers came to be what it is today based on a dream, hard work and passion. ProStart ignites those ideals in students making this program invaluable to the restaurant industry,” said Todd Graves, CEO, Fry Cook and Cashier, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. “The students participating in the Raising Cane’s ProStart Management Competition will pitch restaurant concepts and exhibit critical thinking far beyond their years, and it’s reminiscent of how I got my start.”

The 2018 LRAEF Annual Partners are: Five Diamond: Acme Oyster House, Auto-Chlor System, Emeril Lagasse Foundation, Louisiana Hospitality Foundation and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers; Four Diamond: Performance Foodservice Caro; Three Diamond: Baton Rouge Epicurean Society and Delaware North; Two Diamond: Louisiana Gas Association; and One Diamond: Katie’s Restaurant and Patrick J. Gros, CPA. The LRAEF would also like to thank the nine chapters of the LRA for their support throughout the year.

The participating schools in each competition are:

Louisiana Hospitality Foundation CULINARY Competition

Abbeville High SchoolAscension Parish ProStartBroadmoor High SchoolChalmette High SchoolDenham Springs High SchoolEast Iberville High SchoolEast St. John High SchoolFontainebleau High SchoolFranklinton High SchoolHammond High Magnet SchoolLafourche Parish Career Magnet CenterLakeshore High SchoolLive Oak High SchoolMorgan City High SchoolNorth Vermilion High SchoolSalmen High SchoolSlidell High SchoolSt. Charles Satellite CenterSt. James Parish Career & Tech. CenterSulphur High SchoolWest Feliciana High SchoolWest St. John High SchoolWoodlawn High School

RAISING CANE’S CHICKEN FINGERS MANAGEMENT COMPETITION

Academy of Our LadyBroadmoor High School Donaldsonville High School East St. John High School Hammond High Magnet School North Vermilion High SchoolSpringfield High SchoolSulphur High SchoolWest Feliciana High School

The winning teams will go on to represent Louisiana at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s ProStart Invitational, April 27-29, 2018, in Providence, Rhode Island, where they will compete for more than $1 million in additional scholarships.